


Got The Cream

by connorssock



Series: Prompt Fills [8]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental drug use (catnip), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gavin-centric, M/M, Neko!Gavin, Not Quite Enemies to Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 14:20:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18316997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connorssock/pseuds/connorssock
Summary: For the prompt: Hello love your Hank/Connor/Gavin/Nines stories. Was wondering if you ever thought of writing Neko Gavin? Like cat ears and tail. Not trusting the other 3. Purring Gavin. Kitten Gavin.





	Got The Cream

Life wasn’t kind, there was no karma and there sure as shit wasn’t justice. Gavin fought tooth and nail to get where he was despite the crap hand he’d been dealt. He hadn’t asked to be born a freak, a genetic oddity. Not that he was particularly rare with cat ears and a tail, it held no scientific interest unlike those who had raccoon or some other fancy thing like a jaguar or fox. Common domestic felines weren’t novel, they were simply looked down on bot by purist humans for being lesser and other trait-exhibiting folks for being mundane.

So he worked hard, learned how to tuck his tail away, out of sight but not uncomfortable and also kept his ears flattened down most of the time. That actually wasn’t so difficult as half the time he was so stressed that his ears were natural pressed flat against his skull.

Of course things weren’t that simple. He worked hard and then had to work that little bit more because a trait-exhibitor couldn’t possibly be on par with a human. He had to undergo more test to prove that he wouldn’t get distracted by sudden movements of small things. The humiliation of having to sit in a chair and not react to a small light dancing around on the floor and walls for half an hour still burned deep in him. But he’d made it, earned himself a spot on the police force and eventually clawed his way up to being a detective.

Which was when androids came waltzing in. Ready-made, built to perfection and born to do the job he’d spent years of his life trying to get to. Just thinking about them was enough to set his chest rattling with a barely contained growl. Perhaps it would have been easier to bear if Hank hadn’t been drunk. He’d have understood, his kid was a trait-exhibitor. Then all that got fucked and Gavin wasn’t sure Hank had had a day sober since then.

Of course, androids cured that too. Connor got partnered with Hank and drew him out of his shell. Gavin wanted to hate him for it, wished he wouldn’t have set Hank off each time the man caught sight of his ears. But there they were, Gavin’s very existence enough to have Hank recoiling while an android pulled the beginnings of a smile from him.

The final nail in his coffin was being partnered with an android of his own. It was one of the few times Gavin’s nature showed as he all but spat and hissed in protest at the idea. If he was going to be partnered up then he wanted someone who earned their rank, not just stepped fresh off the production line. His protests did little good and he sat at his desk, trying to calm down enough to actually be able to look at his new partner.

It didn’t take long to realise that the RK900 was as much terrified of himself as Gavin was. Not that either of them would admit it. But Gavin expected the worst, to be kicked to the curb like a stray while his android partner took over his job. The more he watched the android work though, the more his fears were allayed. His partner wasn’t after his job, half the time it looked like he was scared of himself. Which, it was fair enough. The RK900 had been designed as the most advanced, powerful android in existence but awoken into deviancy without the life-shaping experiences. Despite himself, Gavin decided to help with catching up on those formative experiences. Without, of course, letting his partner know that he was the one behind them. It most certainly wasn’t because he felt bad for a guy who looked worried about picking up a tablet some days and stood stock still when hugged. No, it was only because Gavin couldn’t possibly work with someone whose sole life experience was stepping out of a box and straight into a job that revolved around death and misery.

It started off with small things. An indestructible stress ball appeared on the desk one day. It had a 9 printed on it. While RK900 tried to find the owner of said stress ball, Gavin sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up with a smile. Eventually, his partner sat back down too, stress ball still in hand. Over the course of the next few days, Gavin’s heart thumped with pride each time RK900 grabbed the ball and squeezed it.

His good deeds didn’t stop there though. Gavin found thirium based chocolate and he left it carefully balanced on RK900’s chair. Not to mention the mug he’d found in a thrift shop that declared RK900 was “The World’s Best Android”. On cases, he helped round up the perpetrators but let RK900 make the actual arrest. He tried to play it off as not wanting to do the hard work when he was warm and squishy while his android partner could come out of a scuffle unaffected. It was only when Gavin pulled a piece of fluff off the android’s shoulder that he stopped to consider what he was doing.

Despite his intent to help his partner find himself in the chaos that was life, it seemed that Gavin had done a little more. Presented him with gifts, showing him how to hunt, helping him keep tidy. Not to mention that he’d had to bite down on the nickname of Nines numerous times. RK900 was just too much of a mouthful to say.

There was nothing more to Gavin’s sudden upturn other than a desire to succeed. He needed to get most out of his partner, demonstrate that he was capable of working with everyone and everything or he would get sacked. His little buzz of positivity was the only reason he started noticing that perhaps not everything around him was as miserable as he’d thought. There were small things which he was certain had always been that way, he’d just been too busy being a grouch.

His favourite coffee brand was in the breakroom now. It was one that not many people liked so it never seemed to be available, or if it was, it got stuffed towards the back of the top shelf and he had too much dignity to try and scramble to get it. Now though, perhaps thanks to a new cleaner, there was always a bag of it and within easy reach at that.

Gavin was grumbling about the latest report he had to file when a shadow fell over his desk. His ears pressed even flatter against his head and he had to hold back on a growl as Hank towered above him.

“What do you want?” he snapped.

For a change, Hank actually looked contrite.

“I was wondering whether you and Nines would want to swap desks with Connor and I. The sun’s been really getting to me.”

Gavin looked over at the desk in question in confusion. It was a desirable desk, had good view of the precinct and each afternoon the sun hit it just right. If it had been Gavin’s home, he’d have put his sofa in that spot to lounge on while basking. He’d made noises about maybe swapping desks before but pride and snide power-play had Hank smacking down even the hint of such a suggestion.

“Alright,” he tried to look nonchalant as he shrugged. “If your old man eyes can’t cope with it anymore.”

He could see Hank rising to the bait but a hand on his shoulder quelled anything serious and Connor peered down at Gavin.

“Thank you Detective Reed, that is most helpful of you.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you plastic prick.” It took Gavin less than five minutes to pack up his desk and move across the bullpen to his new spot.

He took a few moments to fuss over where his belongings would sit and in that time, Nines had appeared opposite him. The cup of coffee by his elbow was a boost and Gavin clutched it to his chest, eyes shut as he leaned back in his seat. He even forgot to tamp down on the soft purr of contentment that rumbled through him.

Other small things that Gavin noticed around him were more people smiling, there was a warmer atmosphere in the whole precinct. Chances were, he was imagining it, projecting his own little project with Nines onto everybody else. Except Tina ruffled his hair one way and playfully tugged at his ear.

“Nice to see these finally coming out,” she trilled as she twirled past.

Gavin grumbled under his breath and made a conscious effort to flatten his ears back to how they usually were. Opposite him Nines looked a little disappointed. Probably because Gavin wasn’t working. Nines always seemed to have a stick up his butt about being punctual and orderly, not wasting company time. Rolling his eyes hard, Gavin turned back to his work.

What would have been an accident without consequences turned into something a little more serious and it wasn’t exactly Gavin’s fault. He couldn’t control his biology so in a way, he was a victim of an unfortunate incident. Collins had been bumbling by with some evidence when he dropped the box. Nobody thought much of it, that kind of thing happened all the time. Except that particular box had a bag of what was effectively altered catnip for trait-exhibitors in it. Upon hitting the floor, the bag split and spilled its content by Gavin’s feet.

He watched in mute horror, tried to hold his breath but it was too late. The scent of it hit him and Gavin’s mind slowly blanked out. He was distantly aware of someone hurriedly slinging him over their shoulder and the world lurched but it didn’t matter when he was floating.

Connor put Gavin down in the interrogation room, leaned him against a wall and crouched to peer into his eyes. A few moments later Hank was gently pushing him out of the way, watching how Gavin’s blow pupils struggled to track the motion.

A rough hand patted Gavin’s cheek and when there was no response, Hank moved to ruffle his hair. Of course, his hand caught against Gavin’s ears which were lazily perked up and it drew a content sigh from his chest. It was that moment that Nines strode in, looking furious.

“Just what do you think you’re doing to him?” His voice was pitched low, a snarl full of unpleasant promises if he didn’t like the answer.

“Trying to get him to snap out of it while keeping him safe.”

Nines settled next to Gavin on the floor and looked over at his slumped form. With a scoff, he reached for him and pulled him across his lap.

“I’ve downloaded all the information. This is the kindest and quickest way.”

Hank and Connor watched as Nines carefully arranged Gavin in his lap and let him snuggle in, a hand gently rubbed over his ears in a slow rhythm. All too soon the interrogation room was filled with the sound of soft purring and Gavin’s lips tugged up into a lazy smile.

It took half an hour, in which time Fowler had stuck his head around the door to check in on them. Reflexively, Hank and Connor moved to shield the view of Gavin from him. Message received, Fowler left them to it, only informing them that the mess had been cleared up and the bullpen aired.

Coming off a catnip high was always different. A few times Gavin had come to soaking wet as he’d been dunked in a bucket of cold water by his father. The sadistic bastard liked to hide the stuff around the house, wait until Gavin succumbed to its effects before pulling him back to reality in the harshest way possible. The few times Gavin had intentionally sought the stuff out, he’d floated off the high alone and shivering with a cold that emanated from his chest rather than lack of heat. Now though, he snuffled a little, the small echoes of an inaudible purr reverberated through his ribs. A large, warm hand teased along the edge of his ear and sent shivers down his spine.

The last vestiges of the high fell away at the realisation that someone was playing with his ears, that he was cuddled into a firm chest that had a heartbeat like no human. The hiss built in the back of his throat and he pushed away until he tumbled free into a defensive crouch on the floor.

“You’re okay Reed.” Hank’s voice from behind him had Gavin twirling.

“You sick fucks!” Gavin raged and cringed at how he sounded on the edge of an angry yowl.

Nobody moved to placate him or defend themselves. If his tail had been visible, it would have been swishing ferociously from side to side. As it was, it twitched helplessly against the straps that held it to his leg.

“Calm your tits Reed.” Finally Hank had enough of it. “I know you’re full of yourself but do you really think we’d want to do that to you?”

Deflating, Gavin looked around the room again and noticed as Connor put his hand up to speak.

“Actually, with your permission, and only with that, I would.”

Both Hank and Gavin’s eyebrows took a trip north on their foreheads. They looked at Connor then at Nines in the hope of a little sanity.

“Connor’s right. If I had enthusiastic consent, I too would very easily convinced.”

A manic little giggle burst out of Gavin at the idea. He almost missed Hank’s grumblings behind him.

“Fine, fine, seeing as it’s confession hour. Maybe you aren’t so bad after all.”

That at least seemed to break the ice and Gavin leaned onto his knees to let out a laugh as he remembered how to breathe.

It was a turning point. One that Gavin had never thought to be a possibility. Now, whenever Nines walked behind him, he’d teasingly trail a finger along his ears which were perked up more often than not. A few people commented on how much more approachable Gavin looked now that he didn’t seem three seconds from scratching someone’s eye out. He laughed it off, of course he did, there was no other response he could give that didn’t delve into just how accurate that statement was.

Nobody ever mentioned that there were moments when a trait-exhibitor’s perceived defects were actually a boon. They were at a scene, an anonymous tip had called in to say that an anti-android league related crime was about to happen. It was squad cars squealing to the location, a park that had been evacuated by beat cops already. The detectives stood around and tried to find any evidence of the alleged threat. There was nothing. Not a single soul in sight and slowly, people began to wind down from the adrenaline rush.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gavin saw something small and red dance across Hank’s chest. His head snapped around and his zeroed in on the little dot as it settled over Hank’s heart. Instinct helped Gavin launch himself across the small space where they stood, Hank tumbled under his weight with a shout as a shot rang out through the park. People yelled in surprise and ducked.

The red dot was gone but Gavin’s eyes were wide as he took in the scene again. Something shifted in a tree and he was off.  Shouts echoed after him but Gavin had his sights set. In a few easy leaps he was up in the tree and pouncing on the shooter. It was surprisingly easy to wrestle the gun away from him, especially when there was a tell-tale rip and Gavin’s tail freed itself from its confines. Getting down was even quicker than getting up. Gavin dropped the gun to the ground and with simplistic ease grabbed the now cuffed suspect and dropped lightly to the ground. He shoved the guy towards the squad car nearest to Hank and absolutely did not preen as he stalked past all the gawking officers. Sometimes it felt good to show off.

That evening, Hank, Connor and Nines took Gavin out to celebrate and to say thank you. While Hank had been wearing a bulletproof vest, taking a slug to the chest would have still hurt, possibly even broken a rib.

“You looked alarmingly lovely today,” Nines muttered in Gavin’s ear with a sly smile.

“He couldn’t tear his eyes from your tail,” Connor helpfully chimed in.

“Seriously,” Hank settled at the table with their drinks, “if I have to hear once more about how it matches your hair, I may well have to shave it just to spare myself.”

Gavin looked up from under his lashes, am embarrassed flush coloured his cheeks. But his ears were up, slightly tipped to the side as if torn between hiding and standing proud.

“Really?” he asked shyly.

“Really.” The reply came after a beat and Nines reached to rub just behind Gavin’s ear.

Nobody missed the way Gavin’s eyes slipped shut in bliss at that, or the way his tipped his head in a silent plea for more.

“Would you consider letting your tail out around us? Please?” Nines asked sweetly.

Even Connor was sat eagerly forward, keen to hear Gavin’s reply while Hank tried and failed to look disinterested. A sigh hissed out between Gavin’s lips and he wriggled around a little. Not a moment later, his tail rose into the air, proudly declaring his happiness.

“I’d love it if you came to work like this. Happy, free and comfortable with who you are.”

At that, Gavin let out a laugh.

“Nobody wants or needs to see this,” he gestured at his body. “Trust me, they want me as regular looking as possible. I’m one mis-step away from losing my badge. Always have been, always will.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Hank piped up with a low grumble. “And I think these two would back me up if anything needed a bit more clout.”

“Indeed.” The eager nod Connor gave made it look like his head was wobbling.

“Alright, alright, you pushy sods. I’ll think about it.”

That was all the other three could ask and Nines switched to scratch behind the other ear as reward. Nobody commented on the soft purring that came from Gavin, only stopping each time he took a sip of his drink.

It took a little while for Gavin to feel comfortable enough to leave his tail straps behind one Friday morning. It felt nice to drive and not have it tickle the back of his knee each time he changed gear. Once he parked up, he took a few minutes to gather up a little more courage and would have quite happily sat there for a while longer but Hank knocked on his window.

“Ready to face the day?” he asked even as Connor was all but bouncing in excitement next to him.

“Sure.”

Gavin stepped out of his car and locked it. With a final glance back at it and wishing for its safety, he fell in step with the other two.

“No Nines today?”

“He’s already gone in,” Hank shrugged.

True to his word, Nines was lingering by the entrance with a soft smile. Gavin did a double take at him, not because Nines was reaching for his hand, but because sat atop his head were two silky black ears and a similarly black tail swished behind him.

“Do you like my upgrades?” Nines asked and when he smiled, the tips of pointy canines gleamed.

Unthinking, Gavin reached for one of the ears and Nines tipped his head to make it easier. They were softer than they looked and Nines let out a little hum.

“Careful, they’re still new so rather sensitive.”

Mischievously, Gavin reached for the tail and gave it a playful, light tug. It made Nines mewl in annoyance before reaching to retaliate. However, Gavin was already dancing out of his reach with a delighted chuckle. Suddenly, the world didn’t feel quite so lonely or empty anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Still knocking around on tumblr as @connorssock and twitter as @vaderina1


End file.
